Watch 3 News reporter Tova O'Brien's report on MMP
Key parts of the voting system could be changed after the Electoral Commission completes of review of MMP which began on Monday.
A
referendum held at the same time as last November's election showed a
clear majority for retaining MMP and the commission is bound by law to
review it.
Maori representation and the number of seats in Parliament are the only issues outside the scope of the review.
The
most controversial parts of MMP are the threshold parties have to reach
to get seats in Parliament, the way they can get around it by winning
an electorate seat, and the way MPs who lose their electorate seats can
get back in on party lists.
The threshold at present is 5 percent
but if a party wins an electorate seat it doesn't have to reach it and
can bring more than one MP into Parliament.
That's meant parties
which come close to 5 percent don't get any MPs but those that win an
electorate seat can have four or five. It's led to vote rigging in
electorates like Epsom and Ohariu.
Another peculiarity is that
electoral law currently allows list MPs to stand in by-elections, and
there have been cases where most of the candidates were already list
MPs.
Chief Electoral Officer Robert Peden says the commission wants as many people as possible to have their say.
The review is costing $1.6 million, with most of it going on advertising which starts later this week.
The
commission is inviting written submissions on a consultation document
that's been released and it will hold public hearings in Auckland,
Wellington and Christchurch.
It will give its recommendations to the Government by the end of October and Parliament will make the final decisions on any law changes.
NZN